"Cassano did not rise to Real Madrid's challenge with professionalism"

One of the surprise packages of the 2012 Euros is Antonio Cassano. Jorge Valdano spoke about the Italian player's spell at Real Madrid in an interview with the "Corriere della Sera" newspaper: "Cassano did not rise to the challenge at Real Madrid in a professional manner. You only get one season to prove yourself at the club. In the second, you'll be given your marching orders".

However, Valdano praised the player's performances for the Italian national side: "Pirlo is the substance in the team. Cassano provides the imagination. He's a player who at any time of the game has solutions that neither the coach nor the other players can give".

When asked about the Spanish national team, Valdano spoke of the side's abundance of high-quality players: "Cazorla, Xavi, Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, Busquets, Cesc, Silva… they’ve got so many great players. Spain believes that a player's technique is an essential part to playing successful football. As Picasso said: "There's no genius without skill".

Valdano believes that Sunday’s final will be a thrilling encounter: "The Spanish can win the Euros. But they must turn their possession into goal-scoring opportunities. No other team in the world has as much of the ball, but they must create more from it".